


Shame About The Mess

by Calliope_Soars



Category: The Mindy Project
Genre: F/M, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-02
Updated: 2014-01-02
Packaged: 2018-01-07 02:36:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,313
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1114487
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Calliope_Soars/pseuds/Calliope_Soars
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mindy is dating Cliff - Danny doesn't care.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Shame About The Mess

**Author's Note:**

> **Very first fanfic for The Mindy Project. Thanks to all the wonderful TMP ppl on tumblr for inspiring me to write again. This really is such a lovefest of a fandom.**
> 
>  
> 
> **BIG thanks to littleblackmaps for being my beta. You're a star! ps I changed the title a little ;)**
> 
>  
> 
>   **This is a one-shot cause longer fics intimidate me...**
> 
>  
> 
> **Also, I was listening to Shame by Matchbox Twenty which is why it got so angsty. I quickly switched to Beyonce before I accidentally killed off anyone :)**

 

She’d pressed the heels of her hands against her eyes – hard. It looked like it hurt. It did nothing to make the tears stop. He reached out to cup her cheek, but she jumped back at his touch. Something ugly twisted up inside of him. A tiny huff of air escaped his lips, yeah it was guilt alright.

“We shouldn’t have…I’m a bad person. I mean I always knew I wasn’t a great person. Not a saint, but mostly good. Oh my god, now it’s official – I’m a bad person, a horrible nasty bad person!” Every insult she threw at herself was underlined with a hicuppy sob that made her whole frame shake. He didn’t try and reach out to touch her, despite his fingers itching to do so. He just watched her drag the sheets tighter around herself.

 

* * *

 

Danny hadn’t meant to.

She was with Cliff. She had constructed a man trap for Cliff. She was happy with him – or maybe she was miserable. Yeah yeah, maybe she had been horribly miserable and that’s why he did it.

It started out slow. A few compliments here and there, standing a little too close to her in the elevator, making sure he always wore something that flattered his frame, always smelling of that cologne she loved so much. He could feel her eyes linger and sometimes, if he felt like fucking with her a bit, he would meet them. Longer than necessary. Long enough for her to stutter something about him being a weirdo. He’d feel something in his stomach flip-flop, cause yeah maybe he wasn’t so in control as he’d like to think.  
  
Really though…It’s not like he had put any forethought into it. 

It’s not like he had meant to do it.

Fuck it…ok, he was seducing Mindy Lahiri. Actively seducing his friend and damn it if he wasn’t great at it. His lips curved into a crooked half smile. It’s not like he was enjoying it – too much.

Mindy’s heels announced her approach, which made his half smile grow into a grin.  She was purposely going to walk past him and ignore him – that had been her strategy of late. He made her uneasy, he made her blush…before he knew what he was doing he followed her into the break room. He could smell victory in the air.

“Doctor,” she mumbled as a greeting before biting into a muffin. She didn’t turn around, not even when he started to laugh out loud. No, it was a cackle and it was fucking annoying.

“Really Min?”

“Doctor? When have we **ever** called each other that?”

“It’s professional – we are co-workers, who are currently **at** **work**. I’m being professional,” she took another angry bite out of her muffin, “What?” Mindy said mid-chew. Danny was laughing again. 

“Okay.” He held up his hands, as if in surrender. His grin got wider though.

“That’s it? No, you clearly don’t believe me. Stop grinning like that!   
Like I said, I’m being professional.”

She wasn’t sure why she was still arguing with him, just that him conceding so easily felt wrong…it was probably some sort of trick and she wasn’t falling for it. He was the one being a freak. He needed to be made aware of that!

“I’ll have you know that I am super professional. I mean check out my outfit. This could be on the cover of Newsweek or something. It’s all boring, grey and serious and…” Danny had taken several strides towards her during her speech and her voice sort of stopped working when he got this close. He was doing that more and more. Getting close.

Mindy pushed him away, but kept her hand planted on his chest. You know, just in case he tried it again. This was close enough! She swallowed hard. Thankfully, her voice had returned to her. She’d put some words in between them.

“Doctor Castellano, **THIS** …” she tapped her index finger against his chest “is what I’m talking about. This whole, _‘Oh I’m Daniel Castellano and I smell good and stand really close to you and’_ …yeah all of that, is **SO** not professional.”

Danny trapped Mindy’s hand against his chest; he was feeling bold and proceeded to gently caress her skin with his thumb. He actually winked at her, which matched so well with his handsome half smile. Did she just call him handsome? Mindy felt her mouth go dry, suddenly hyperaware of her hand on his chest.

Something shifted inside him then, as if he had just awoken from a dream.  
“My apologies.” His eyes locked onto hers and his smile was gone. “Doctor.”  
Danny nodded solemnly and released her hand. Mindy sort of let her hand hover mid-air for a moment before she snapped out of it.

“I give up, Min.” She could barely hear him, but it shocked her as if it had been a scream.

“On what?” Mindy feebly asked just as he turned to leave. All she knew was she didn’t want him to just leave. He just made her nervous…lately more nervous than normal.

“We’re friends, I shouldn’t have…Forget about it,” the words appeared to pain him. Danny was conceding. This was a fight he couldn’t win. He had his fun, but maybe he hadn’t really thought this all the way through. Here they were alone – everything he had been working for…to create his perfect Mindy trap. He certainly hadn’t expected to feel awkward in a matter of seconds. He felt like a dick, as he held her hand trapped against him and saw her look up at him so sweetly. She deserved to be happy and who was he to act like he knew better.

He was silent for too long and a nasty chill went through her. She didn’t want to forget about it. She didn’t want him to look this sad. 

“Danny,” she kind of whispered….why was she whispering? Before either of them could contemplate this, his hands were gripping her waist and she actually whimpered out loud.

Jesus.

Danny just looked at her. Searching for a signal maybe. A signal to retreat or march onwards. He didn’t really know what had come over him, but her whispering his name like that made him feel off-kilter all of a sudden.

Before he could decide what her eyes were telling him, Mindy licked her lips and pressed them against Danny’s. Just for a second. Just to stop herself from making any more noises. It didn’t work. In fact, it did the exact opposite.

“I don’t want to forget about it,” this time it was barely a whisper. She ran her index finger along his bottom lip and kissed it again. She tasted like blueberry muffin and it took everything in him to keep his cool. He deepened the kiss eagerly, and somehow found a way to gently yet roughly grab the back of her neck. The pit of her stomach felt liquid and warm, it spread all through her body. Mindy in turn dug her fingers in his hair and tugged a bit. “Fuck,” it was Danny’s turn to whimper just as he managed to elicit an actual moan from his colleague.

“I’vegotaboyfriend,” she muttered against his mouth. Danny growled at that, kicked the door shut and actually pinned her against it.

“So?” He was growling into her neck now, his hands skimming up and down her legs – hiking her skirt up inch by inch.

“I’m glad you…” she hummed when his fingers trailed up her thigh, “uhh…didn’t give up.” Danny smiled when she gasped. She blushed prettily as he slanted his mouth over hers – so eager to show her how glad he was as well.

   
 

* * *

 

“It’s not your fault, Min.”

She laughed a bitter sort of laugh then.

“I mean I did kind of set out to…uhm…” he awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck until he found the word, “win you over.” Danny couldn’t meet her eyes, despite all the things they’d done to each other in the past few hours.

Her laugh was lighter now, making him look up at her. He looked like a big puppy. It made her want to pet him, or straddle him. Or both.

“You set out to seduce me huh?!”

Ok now she was just out right laughing at him. He got sort of distracted by the sheet falling down a bit, revealing the swell of her breast. Danny only barely managed a nod. He was just so incredibly relieved she wasn’t crying anymore.

“You’re a good person.”

Mindy stopped laughing and just stared at him. Danny met her gaze. She seemed to ponder his statement. Her lips twitched at the corners a little, as if they too were considering whether to be pleased. She took his hand, pulled him closer. He followed obediently, sure not to touch her and doing everything he could to keep his panic at bay. Danny couldn’t breathe in those seconds. Unsure about everything except that he had to keep looking at her. He had to keep her here with him. Remind her of how much they both wanted this.

Right? She wanted this, right? He had been so sure, but the tears had undone him. His plan did not include a crying and guilt ridden Mindy. He had not thought beyond his needs. Danny felt like an asshole.

“Look Min,” he rumbled, “I didn’t mean…”

“To seduce me? Yes, Doctor – you did…and you did it well.”

The sheet covering her dropped, Danny was silent and breathless once more.  
Mindy cupped his face with both her little hands. She was concentrating hard, as if she was memorising every feature. Her thumbs stroked his earlobes gently and he could’ve sworn she let out a purr.

Mindy kissed his cheekbone, the corner of his jaw, the bit where his bottom lip and chin meet. She kissed him softly, brushed her lips on every bit of his face…except for his mouth.

Danny finally inhaled a shuddery gulp of air. She giggled and finally met his mouth with hers. They broke away after a few moments, disentangling the limbs that had found each other so naturally.

“I’m not a good person Danny, but the fact that you still think so makes me feel less bad.” Nice, very eloquent, “What I mean is, this is messy, but this was…”

“Inevitable,” he finished for her and he dragged his palm down her spine. She ducked her head a little, and Danny kissed her forehead with all the love he could muster.

Mindy sat back up then, and his stomach did that flip floppy thing again. He could tell she was going to get serious again. He hadn’t managed to drive away the cloud that was hanging over her still.

“It’s just, well…I’m not a cheater. This is not me. This is definitely not you. This is just not how I wanted this to happen. I mean…yes I feel horrible towards Cliff cause he is a good guy, but…God, no, this is going to make me sound even worse. Just forget it.” Mindy pulled the sheet back up and he could tell she was retreating.

“No, go on…just tell me.” Danny changed his position so his body was fully facing her, a nervous smile on his lips.

“Ok well I know this is pathetic, but I wanted us to be different from all the other fucked up relationships we’ve had,” she paused to look at him, “I don’t want you to think I’m like Christina. I want us to trust each other. I guess that’s what I was crying about earlier.” 

“Mindy,” Danny tilted her head back up, “please look at me. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have put you in this situation. I knew you were with someone but I only saw you.”

She was fiddling with the edge of the sheet. “Mindy, look, this wasn’t ideal. I’m sorry. I don’t want to see you sad. I trust you more than I’ve ever trusted anyone in my life. No one else matters.” He felt more than heard her gasp a little and he couldn’t believe he was saying this out loud. Danny felt like throwing up.

It was his turn to look away, but not before he squeezed both her hands in his.  
“I didn’t care about anything else, Min. I just wanted to hold you.” 

His big brown eyes focused onto hers at those words.  
“I still don’t care about anything but you. So what if we start off messy, as long as we started, right.”

“Right?!” he repeated rather desperately. Or at least to his own ears. His panic was seeping out of him in tidal waves and he hoped he wasn’t scaring her.

Mindy was crying again, and he stopped talking immediately.

“Min?” Her name came out as a soft low croak. It made her cry harder.

“Fuck!” she scrubbed her hands over her face.

“A messy start, but a clean finish?” Mindy knew she sounded like a child but she needed to hear this wasn’t just tonight. She thought he didn’t understand her meaning as she watched his confident nod.

“Don’t worry, we’ll fix this together. We’re in this together.”  
Danny’s statement was rewarded with a tight embrace. He did not falter and quickly tucked her even closer. “I’m not letting you go, now I finally got a hold of you.” His words burrowed into her skin and made it buzz. Mindy let her hands trail happily into his hair.

“A clean finish, Mindy…I promise,” Danny whispered in her ear.

“Yes, promise…good, perfect,” she murmured as his kisses trailed down her neck.

Danny’s mouth marked her body all over and every now again she heard him mutter “I promise” to her skin before lavishing it with soft kisses.

 

 


End file.
